Praia, Dec. 24, 2025 (Lusa) - Cabo Verde set a new record by welcoming around 981,000 foreign visitors in 2024, the highest figure since records began, the National Statistics Institute announced on Wednesday.

"In 2024, the number of tourists visiting Cabo Verde was estimated at 981,354, the highest figure in the series observed, corresponding to a variation of +11.8% compared to 2023," the institute said in its tourism statistics report.

The result also represents a 39.1% increase compared to 2022, consolidating the recovery of the tourism sector after the Covid-19 pandemic.

The United Kingdom remained the main source market, with 36.3% of the total, followed by Germany (11.5%), Belgium and the Netherlands (10.1%) and Portugal (9.8%).

The island of Sal accounted for 59% of overnight stays, followed by Boa Vista (36.6%) and Santiago (2.4%).

The average daily expenditure of tourists was 9,014 escudos (around €82) By country, visitors from Portugal had the highest average daily expenditure, while those from Sweden had the lowest.

Most tourists travelled for holidays (95.2%), with 87.1% on package tours and an average stay of 8.7 days.

Also according to National Statistics Institute, 92.2% of visitors recommended Cabo Verde as a destination and 82.2% expressed their intention to return.

Tourism remains concentrated in Sal and Boa Vista, mainly in trips organised by tour operators, while Santiago stands out in independently organised visits.

In March, the president of the Cabo Verde Tourism Institute, Jair Fernandes, told Lusa that preliminary data pointed to around 1.2 million visitors in 2024.

RS/AYLS // AYLS

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